At a glance

See us at (2017)

Update 26 Nov 2017

27 May 2017. In a 2-day conference organized at the Athens Byzantine & Christian Museum (BCM) titled 'Then and Now - Conservation at the Byzantine Museum', Andreas Sarakinos, holographer and Scientific Director of the Hellenic Institute of Holography presented our experience from the innovative use of display holography within this Museum. Click below to view his presentation in PDF file (Greek language) titled 'Recording and Exhibiting Holographic Optical Clones (OptoClones) at BCM'

12 Sep 2017. At the annual meeting of all-Russian holographers HOLOEXPO2017 in the city of Zvenigorod, the Hellenic Insitute of Holography (HiH) presented its latest project in using holographic digital prints for the 3D visualization of aerial views of churches of St. Petersburg. These works (specification and digital proecessing by A. Sarakinos) were undertaken on behalf and in collaboration with ITMO University of St. Petersburg. Click here to view the presentation of HiH in PDF file titled:"Aerial Views of Religious Monuments of St. Petersburg" and here for conference pics from the Organizers' website.

2 June 2017. The State Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg in collaboration with the private company OPTEC organized an international workshop/seminar for leading experts in science-based restoration between May 30th and Jund 2nd on The Art of Restoration.The Hellenic Institute of Holography actively proposes to the scientific world οf museum conservation the use of display holograms as a method for optical documentation of artefacts -in addition to their obvious use in exhibitions. Within this context, HiH (A. Lembessis) and ITMO University (Prof. S. Stafeev) organized a bilingual presentation for closed audience of Russian and int'l participants titled:"Οptically Documenting Cultural Artefacts with Holographic Optical Clones".

ISDH 2015

Updated 16 Nov 2015

An unforgettable event

(28 June - 3 July 2015)

Three years after Boston and the MIT MediaLab, the Int'l Symposium of Display Holography 2015 (ISDH) was organized this year in St. Petersburg by ΙΤΜΟ University in cooperation with HiH. More than 200 holographers from 16 countries presented 80 papers as well as their own holographic creations at the Russian Academy of Sciences historical building.

In memorim of Yuri Denisyuk (inventor of the type of holograms known by his name) and in honour of late Prof. T. Jeong (founder of ISDH), the organization of the Symposium in 2015 -the UNESCO Int'l year of Light- will remain unforgettable to all those who had the unique opportunity to visit splendid St. Petersburg during the season of White Nights.

The Hellenic Institute of Holography was present not only through its active participation in the Organizing Committee as well as an official sponsor but also with 4 oral presentations (click for abstract):

The full programme of the Symposium sessions (to be published in a commemorative publication) can be found here.

The official album of commemorative photos can be viewed at the media portal of IΤΜΟ University (here), whereas private pictures are being collected by participants for common posting on the Web.

The Symposium was enhanced by a mega-exhibition of holography (also co-organized by ITMO University and HiH) with title 'Magic of Light: Holograms, Light Installations and OptoClones'. Participants to ISDH2015 had the chance of a private preview of this show, which was met by public with substantial success and came to an end in mid Nov2015 after having attracted more than 80,000 visitors.

ISDH2018

Update 26 Nov 2017

Holographers prepare !

(25-29 June 2018)

Three years after St.Petersburg and ITMO University, the Int'l Symposium of Display Holography2018 (ISDH) is next organized in the city of Αveiro, Portugal by the local university. Click above to register and see the First Call for papers already announced.

Holographers from all over the world will present their latest achievements as well as their holograms and HiH cannot be absent from this meeting as one of the most active and productive institutions in display holography.

In memory of its late founder T.Jeong (USA), Margaret Benyon (UK) and J.M. Gago (P), the organization of this coming Symposium is expected to be unforgettable once again, similarly to all previous occasions since its establishment in 1982 at Lake Forest College, Illinois, USA.

Best of Year

Posted on 06 Dec 2015

A 28-year-old pathway !!

The ΙΗΜΑ'Best of Year 2015'-Excellence in Holography award to the Hellenic Institute of Holography in Shanghai, China, marks the culmination of a very long pathway to success. This prize is only presented when the judges see an application that is truly outstanding to justify its elevation to best project of the year. The award was granted not only for the creation of the Bowater Collection of Fabergé OptoClones™ by Andreas Sarakinos, scientific director of HiH, but also for the development of dedicated display systems incorporating optimized illuminants. Naturally, the honour is further extended to all involved partners of HiH in this project, individuals and parties such as ITMO University and the Fabergé Museum from St. Petersburg, Russia as well as James Bowater, main sponsor of the venture.

Update 06 July 2015

A medal well deserved !

Within the framework of the most important meeting of world holographers, the 10th International Symposium of Display Holography, which took place in July for the first time ever in St. Petersburg, Russia, the scientific director of HiH, Andreas Sarakinos was honoured with the Yuri Denisyuk medal of the D.S. Rozhdestvensky Optical Society 'for the application of new techniques in the recording of colour holograms'. The joint organization of the Symposium by ITMO University and HiH in memoriam of Yuri N. Denisyuk (inventor of the type of holograms featuring his name) during 2015- the UNESCO Int'l Year of Light- marked a special point in time for this distinguished award to a person, who has practically dedicated the largest part of his professional life to display holography.

Update 30 June 2015

At the top-10 of Innovation

The ranking of the ' Τhree-dimensional Optical Clones of Works of Art ' in the top-10 of Applied Research among 208 candidates in the 3rd Competition "Greece Innovates!" (a joint initiative of Eurobank and the Federation of Greek Enterprises) is another public recognition of HiH activities. The proposal of the Hellenic Institute of Holography attracted wide publicity within Greece with special reports in Greek language daily press (KATHIMERINI), in TV (SKAI-First Line) and dedicated road-shows in selected academic venues in Greece. During the open-to-public verbal appraisal (video), Andreas Sarakinos and Tasos Tzerahoglou had the opportunity to demonstrate 'live' results obtained with the proprietary equipment developed by HiH.

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Update 25 Nov 2017

The Best comes at 30 !!

On the 30th birthday of the Hellenic Institute of Holography (HiH), a new award was added to its credentials in Barcelona, Spain by the Int'l Hologram Manufacturers Association (ΙΗΜΑ) with the Commendation for 'Best Display Application of Holography' 2017-Excellence in Holography. This was awarded for the creation of a collection of OptoClones™ of Russian State treasures from the Moscow Kremlin Diamond Fund by Andreas Sarakinos, chief holographer of HiH, and his team. The commendation relates not only to the creation of the holographic optical clones of the objects but also to the development of purpose-built systems for their illumination and public exhibition. The award certificate was collected by HiH Director Alkis Lembessis on behalf of everybody who has contributed to the success of this project as well as of collaborating institutions such as ITMO University of St. Petersburg, Russia.

The commendation was conferred by the President of IHMA at the annual Award Ceremony during The Holography Conference 2017 (see here the official photos from the Organizer's webpage) where HiH also made a presentation related to this project. A full article on this latest HiH success story is in preparation.

Update 18 Nov 2017

Does it get any higher ?

In another special ceremony organized at the Moscow Kremlin Grand Palace by Gokhran of Russia (the State Treasury of the Russian Federation) on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Diamond Fund, Russian Prime-Minister Dmitry Medvedev was invited. And he had the opportunity to eye-witness from close the latest development in display holography as prepared by HiH with 11 OptoClones™ of unique cultural heritage artifacts and invaluable State treasures of Russia.

Naturally, this event was covered by Russian media and press; you may see above an edited version of these programs with interviews and news bulletins, also posted at the HiHolography YouTube channel. And if your knowledge of Russian is insufficient to follow this video in detail, images speak louder than words. Don't omit to note PM Medvedev's gesture to physically touch the OptoClones at the end of the video. As realistic as it can get...

Update 17 Nov 2017

Holography turned 70 years

This year is the 70th Anniversary of Holography since its invention in 1947 by Denis Gabor (Nobel prize 1971). But also this year marks the 90th anniversary since the birth of Yuri Nikolaevich Denisyuk, the inventor of the single-beam holographic setup and of the white-light viewable holograms which bear his name. Holograms which have reached a highest quality level with the OptoClones™ of the Hellenic Institute of Holography for works of art.

We deem that a birthday present is only appropriate for Display Holography and we are offering this exhibition of 11 OptoClones™ of invaluable State treasures of Russia for the first time ever in the Grand Palace of Moscow Kremlin. But there is a birthday present also for Yuri Denisyuk, with contributions from his 'friends': a new page at HiH website dedicated to him in English & Greek with various selected features focusing on the human aspect of the man who opened for us a path in life for creativity and occupation. Happy birthday, Holography !

"The Story of OptoClones" (read here the selected for the month of March 2016 article), re-print from the monthly newsletter Holography News, dedicated to the 'Best of the Year' award to HiH for the Faberge Collection of OptoClones. Download the relevant excerpt in printer-friendly format:HN-Vol30No3_Mar2016_-_The_Story_of_OptoClones.pdf232.86 KB

Read here a flattering article (July 2013) titled 'A New, Old Challenge for Technology: Hologram Jesus' from the American progressive business, innovation and technology magazine FAST COMPANY (Editors' Choice Best Magazine in 2014) on the HiH hologram exhibit at the MIT Museum (see it here).

Publications

Update 23 Feb 2018

By clicking on one or more of the links below, you may access and read our scientific published papers on Display Holography. In case you wish to use any of them as reference, please preserve the citation syntax provided. For any publications of interest which are not openly accessible, you may contact us and request by email. Do not re-distribute these articles in their entirety.

Read herea detailed report on HiH activities through the pages of the most authoritative book (May 2013) on the subject by Prof. Hans Bjelkhagen and David Brotherton-Ratcliffe titled 'ULTRA-REALISTIC IMAGING: Advanced Techniques in Digital and Analog Colour Holography' (select the adjacent image to see how to obtain your copy of this unique book).

HiH facebook

Event Calendar

25Jun2018

ISDH 2018

25 Jun 2018 / 29 Jun 2018

The 11th anniversary of the Int'l Symposium of Display Holography is coming to Portugal. In memoriam of its founder T.Jeong, Marg. Benyon (UK) and J.M. Gago (P). Five days of holographic exchange plus a major holographic show. Hosted by University of Aveiro. Holographers of the world, (time to) Unite (again) !

16Nov2017

HOLOGRAPHY 2017

16 Nov 2017 / 17 Nov 2017

On this 70th anniversary since the invention of Holography, the annual international meeting of the business of holography comes to Barcelona, Spain and our invited presentation is titled "OptoClones™ of Russian State Treasures from the Moscow Kremlin Diamond Fund"

'Lapidary Art' Conference

At this year's annual international conference of the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg, we will present for the first time "The Fabergé Collection of OptoClones™ " to a world of specialists.

01Jul2015

'Magic of Light' Exhibition

01 Jul 2015 / 31 Oct 2015

The main event in the city of St.Petersburg on the occasion of 2015, the UNESCO Int'l Year of Light, this exhibition will combine "Holograms, Light Installations and OptoClones". At the Elisseev Palace, co-organized by ITMO University and HiH. Don't miss this unforgettable event !

29Jun2015

ISDH 2015

29 Jun 2015 / 03 Jul 2015

The 10th anniversary of the Int'l Symposium of Display Holographycoming to the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in memoriam of Yuri Denisyuk. Five days of holographic exchange plus a major holographic show. Hosted by ITMO University in association with HiH. Holographers of the world, Unite !

28Oct2014

NTU Singapore

28 Oct 2014

Seminar taking place at the Centre for Optical and Laser Engineering (COLE) of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), titled"Holography for Optical Documentation and Diagnostics of Works of Art". Time: 3:00pm, Place: Fusion@MAE Seminar Room (N3.1-B3c-06).

ITMO University Day-Seminar

17 Jun 2014

On the opportunity of the first meeting of the Organising Committee of ISDH2015, see the latest creations of HiH in a Day-Seminar organized by ITMO Univ. in St. Petersburg. The title of our presentation: "Holography for Optical Documentation and Diagnostics of Works of Art".

09Jun2014

LACONA 10

09 Jun 2014 / 12 Jun 2014

At the 10th conference on Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks (LACONA10) taking place in Sharjah, UAE with an oral presentation titled: "In-situ recording and displaying full-colour holographic OptoClones of cultural artifacts on loan at the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens".

03Feb2014

SPIE Practical Holography XXVIII: Materials and Applications

03 Feb 2014 / 04 Feb 2014

In OPTO2014 (part of SPIE Photonics West) San Francisco, California between 3-5 Feb 2014 with an update on latest developments in HoloCultura program.

07Nov2013

HOLOGRAPHY 2013

07 Nov 2013 / 09 Nov 2013

At The Holography Conference (previously known as HOLOPACK/HOLOPRINT) taking place for the first time in Delhi India with a presentation titled "Holographic Methods for Accurate Cloning of Cultural Artefacts".

17Sep2013

HOLOEXPO 2013

17 Sep 2013 / 18 Sep 2013

At the 10th Int'l Meeting of scientific holographers in Moscow, Russia between Sep 17-19, 2013 with our specially prepared presentation for this event titled 'OptoClones and HoLoFoS: advances in colour display holography'.

SPIE Practical Holography XXVII: Materials and Application

In OPTO ( part of SPIE Photonics West ) San Francisco, California between 2-7 Febr 2013 with the presentation "HoLoFoS: an optimized LED illumination system for color reflection holograms display" .

28Oct2012

Holo-pack Holo-print 2012

28 Oct 2012 / 29 Oct 2012

In the annual meeting of world holographers Holo-pack•Holo-print 2012 in Vienna, Austria between 28-30 Oct 2012 with the presentation of TAURUS SecureSolutions on 'Holography for Accreditation of Works of Art'.

28Oct2012

EUROMED 2012

28 Oct 2012 / 02 Nov 2012

At the Int'l Conference on Cultural Heritage EUROMED2012in Limassol, Cyprus between 28 Oct-3 Nov 2012 with the presentation of ArtGnomon titled 'Science in Aid of Expert Opinion: A Tell-Tale on Disputed Artworks'.

17Sep2012

9th Int'l Meeting HOLOEXPO2012

17 Sep 2012 / 20 Sep 2012

At the 9th Int'l Meeting HOLOEXPO2012 in Suzdal, Russia between 17-21 Sep 2012 with two presentations specially prepared for this event titled 'Modern Progress of Art Holography as seen at the MIT Conference in June 2012' and 'Hyper-DocumentationTM: Lasers and Holography in the Preservation of Cultural Heritage'.

07Sep2012

Historical Maps Exhibition

07 Sep 2012 / 29 Sep 2012

At the Historical Maps Exhibition held at the War Museum in Thessaloniki, Greece between 7-30 Sep 2012 with digital holographic prints of maps for military use, glasses-free autostereoscopic screens and our latest creation of an analog OptoCloneTM of a limited edition model of a 1912 Evzonas soldier.

25Jun2012

ISDH 2012

25 Jun 2012 / 29 Jun 2012

At the 9th International Symposium on Display Holography (ISDH2012) organized this year (25-29 June) in Boston Massachussets on the top floor of the new extension of the MIT Media Lab with an oral presentation "A transportable system for the in situ recording of color Denisyuk holograms of Greek cultural heritage artifacts in silver halide panchromatic emulsions and an optimized illuminating device for the finished holograms"

Holographic Universe (where each part contains the whole)

The work of Embeirikos -literary, photographic and psychoanalytic- deals with the “Greek trauma”. In 1935 he gave the famous lecture "On surrealism" in Athens and published "Ypsikaminos", a pure surrealist text, a heretic book characterized by the lack of the punctuation and the peculiarity of the language. His poetry can be defined by two major tendencies. On the one hand, he was one of the major representatives of surrealism in Greece. On the other hand, together with Yorgos Seferis, Embirikos was the most important representative of the generation of the 1930s. He contributed greatly to the introduction of modernism in Greek letters.

In Fotofrachtis (The Light Shutter) (written in 1960 and included in his Oktana collection) Embeirikos correlates the act of photography with daydreaming, not as nostalgia or longing for death, but in the sense of reconciliation with the paradox of time, as a blistering dive in the restless consistency of things.

Assuming that poetry can be translated into a language different to the original, you may taste this poem below or more of his poetry in English by visiting this link.

The Light Shutter

"The hours flow through the iridescences and play of the waters,just like the transparent waters flow through the anemones. With its keys, remembrance opens the horizons, which continuously expand and grow, like the ripples of a stone that falls on a surface that is imperturbable by mortal and bastard acts. Dawn is the first hour. Behind it, the beautiful morning, with red hands which quickly (I almost would say unexpectedly) turn and become golden. A lens with an amazing shutter seizes even the most fleeting moment and transfers it onto the surface of a smooth plate of unbelievable sensitivity. And now that the shutter opened and closed like an incorruptible eye and time was arrested, remembrance expands life and gives to every image the movement and flexibility that, from the depths of a fountain (its own), calls forth its most secret meaning. And behold, it transforms the image completely. It changes it from a static (let's say, 'pinned') moment to a multiply-waved dance of hours and plastic bodies with good rhythm, to a tangible and specific realisation (materialisation) of every vision, of every desire."

Andreas Embirikos, Oktana (Athens: Ikaros, 1960), p. 29.

Translation assisted by Liana Theodoratou.

Also read here an interesting essay titled "The Night of Memory: Andreas Embiricos and the Optical Unconscious" by Eduardo Cadava of Princeton University, published in "Culture & Memory. Special Issue of Modern Greek Studies (Australia and New Zealand) 2006.